1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an Internet facsimile apparatus that receives and transmits image information over a computer network using e-mail, and relates to an e-mail receiving method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an Internet facsimile apparatus (hereinafter referred to as IFAX) that receives and transmits data over the Internet using e-mail as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication HEI No. 8-242326 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,233, has come into practical use.
When IFAX, which has a printer built-in or connected thereto, receives e-mail, IFAX automatically prints text included in e-mail and the content of an image file appended to e-mail using the printer.
In the conventional IFAX checks whether or not e-mail is in a multipart format according to MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) when receiving e-mail. Here, if the multipart format is used, IFAX checks whether or not there are a text part and an attachment file part, and prints the content of each part, which have been found with this checking, using the printer.
In a case where only an attachment file is added without describing anything in the text part, a certain mailer adds a line feed code to the text part, generates a multipart mail, which is composed of a blank text part and an attachment file part, and transmits it. When the conventional IFAX receives e-mail from such a mailer, IFAX performs printing without checking the content if there is the text part, with the result that a blank page corresponding to the text part is printed.
Moreover, a certain mailer inserts a text, which is preregistered as a signature, into a text part automatically. In a case where only an attachment file is added without describing anything in the text part, this mailer generates a multipart mail, which is composed of a text part, which includes only a signature, and an attachment file part, and transmits it. If the conventional IFAX receives e-mail from such a mailer, IFAX prints a meaningless page, which includes only the signature corresponding to the text part.
Thus, the conventional IFAX has a problem in which a waste of power and an increase in printing time are caused.
While, there is proposed a technique in which a specific command is embedded in a text part of e-mail and this specific command is recognized by IFAX on the receiving side to carry out processing, which corresponds to the command, as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication HEI No. 9-116728 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,278. In this case, if the conventional IAX prints the text part, the command is also printed.
Moreover, at the time of sending e-mail having the same content to a plurality of IFAXes, there is a case in which a user wishes to include a serial number for management or a message such as “importance” in the mail in order to manage e-mail transmitted. In this case, if the conventional IAX prints the text part, information for sender management is also printed.